Criminal record screening and clearance

Criminal record screening and clearance

This course and/or some fieldwork host organisations require students to undertake criminal record screening prior to commencing fieldwork. The type of clearance you require varies between government and non-government fieldwork host organisations. The recency of the clearance will also vary depending on the fieldwork host organisation and you may at times be asked to update your clearance as stipulated by the fieldwork host. During fieldwork you will be required to carry, and produce on request, documented proof of criminal screening.

Processing times of applications can take several months depending on the type of clearance. Please check with the relevant organisation (as below) for current costs. You will be responsible for all costs associated with mandatory screening requirements for fieldwork.

Fieldwork in a setting outside of Western Australia may require additional clearance checks. The onus is on you to obtain this information from your placement provider.

Details and further information on criminal record screening and clearance requirements will be provided by your school prior to commencing fieldwork.

Note: If the criminal screening process identifies that you have a criminal record, it may preclude you from undertaking the essential fieldwork placements required for course completion.

TYPES OF CLEARANCES you may require include:

National Criminal History Record Check

The Department of Health requires a National Criminal History Record Check [.pdf 86.7kB] (NCHRC) before attending fieldwork at any of their sites. A certified copy of a valid National Police Certificate (NPC) (if issued within the past 12 months) can be attached to your application for a NCHRC, which reduces the cost of applying for a NCHRC (as the NPC part of the check will not need to be repeated).

National Police Certificate

A valid National Police Certificate (NPC) may be required to undertake fieldwork in some fieldwork hosting organisations. If you are not from Western Australia you must apply through your respective state or territory authority.

Note: Some fieldwork host organisations do not accept police checks obtained through Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) accredited bodies using the National Police Checking Service. While you can request a police check from an ACIC accredited organisation, a police-issued NPC (referred to above) is on secure paper and includes eligible spent convictions. You are therefore strongly advised to obtain an NPC from a police agency in the first instance to reduce the cost of potentially having to reapply for a NPC to meet host organisation requirements.

National Police History Check

A National Police History Check (NPHC) is required by the Department of Education for students undertaking fieldwork in an educational facility in Western Australia. The Department of Education do not accept police clearances or criminal record checks obtained through any other agency.

Working with Children Check

The Working with Children Check (WWC Check) is a national criminal record check that is compulsory for people who carry out child related work (or work where contact with children is likely) for five days or more in a calendar year in Western Australia and the Indian Ocean Territories.

Curtin University would like to pay our respect to the indigenous members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Bentley Campus is located, the Wadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie Campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.Watch our traditional Aboriginal welcome